Mojave National Preserve Hiking and Mountain-Bike Camping, Spring 2010
My Spring 2011 Mojave National Preserve trip travelogue (15 days) is now online.
Maybe this should be subtitled "The desert mallow trip," since I saw so many of those flowers. "What do you do, just ride around all day until you get tired," one person asked, feigning interest. Yeah, I wish it were that simple!
I'll hike and bike in several areas that I haven't visited before. Mojave National Preserve is a huge park with endless nooks and crannies. For late May, I'm extremely lucky and only contend with a couple of uncomfortable hot days.
I'll camp two nights near the powerline road near Kelso Peak, five nights at Mid Hills campground (an excellent home base for hiking/biking day trips), two non-consecutive nights at Nipton general store, three nights near Malpais Spring, and one night above Mojave National Preserve's Ivanpah Valley, near Brant siding.
Water will come from from stores in Baker and Nipton, the Kelso Depot utility closet, Mid Hills campground, and Indian Spring in the eastern New York Mountains.
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Date: May 16, 2010, 17h11
Size: 15 items
(901 items total)
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Album: Baker, California to Kelso Peak area, Mojave National Preserve (Day 1)
My goal today is to ride up Kelbaker Road, get out of the valley of heat that is Baker and camp at cooler ground (high 90s forecast today), in preparation for tomorrow's hike to Kelso Peak. 24.7 bicycle miles, 2800 feet elevation gain.
Date: May 16, 2010, 07h11
Size: 31 items
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Album: Kelso Peak hike, Kelso Mountains, Mojave National Preserve (Day 2)
8-mile round-trip day hike from my campsite on the nearby powerline road. I climb up to the Kelso Peak ridge and enjoy the views, but vertigo prevents me from hiking the very last bit along the ridge top to the peak itself.
Date: May 17, 2010, 08h50
Size: 65 items
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Album: Kelso Peak area to Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve, by bicycle (Day 3)
Kelso Peak area to Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve, by bicycle. 37.8 bicycle miles, 3640 feet elevation gain.
Date: May 18, 2010, 09h38
Size: 43 items
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Album: Pinto Mountain day hike, Mojave National Preserve (Day 4)
I've passed Pinto Mountain so many times during previous Mojave National Preserve trips; today I'll finally hike up that big hill. I ride my bicycle to near the base of Pinto Mountain and hike from there. 11.6 bicycle miles, 4.1 hiking miles.
Date: May 19, 2010, 08h52
Size: 67 items
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Album: Woods Wash mountain-bike ride via Gold Valley from Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve (Day 5)
Today I finally ride a few of the old dirt roads that cross the Gold Valley area of Mojave National Preserve. Excellent mountain biking. 35.4 round-trip bicycle miles from Mid Hills campground plus two hiking miles.
Date: May 20, 2010, 11h15
Size: 73 items
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Album: Beecher Canyon and north Providence Mountains day hike, Mojave National Preserve (Day 6)
I got my first glimpse of the peaceful Beecher Canyon area during last year's hike up to Wild Horse Mesa. Perfect weather today. 15.7 bicycle miles plus 5.3 hiking miles.
Date: May 21, 2010, 10h42
Size: 62 items
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Album: Eagle Rocks day hike from Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve (Day 7)
Today is a nice lazy day, a good break that I need. It's chilly enough up here in the desert mountains that I wear my sweater most of the day. 4.4 hiking miles and the GPS estimates 1100 feet of elevation gain.
Date: May 22, 2010, 11h31
Size: 62 items
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Album: Mid Hills campground to Nipton by bicycle, Mojave National Preserve (Day 8)
I ride down to Nipton for a shower, food and beer, to begin the second week of this trip. I was fearing heat in the valley, but the cold-weather system makes for a nice ride. 41.7 bicycle miles, mostly downhill, from 5600 to 3030 feet elevation.
Date: May 23, 2010, 07h37
Size: 47 items
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Album: Nipton to Malpais Spring by bicycle via Walking Box Ranch Road, Mojave National Preserve (Day 9)
The striking Malpais Spring area of Mojave National Preserve has been on my to-visit list for a few years. I hope to find water in the area. 27.6 bicycle miles today. The 3500 feet of elevation gain reported is probably exaggerated by the Topo 7 software.
Date: May 24, 2010, 08h48
Size: 56 items
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Album: Malpais Spring, Castle Peaks area, day hike, Mojave National Preserve (Day 10)
Absolutely perfect weather on today's 8-mile hike in the Castle Peaks area of the Mojave National Preserve to Malpais Spring, Indian Spring and Taylor Spring. The high elevation up here (4500-5400 feet) keeps things comfortable.
Date: May 25, 2010, 09h24
Size: 87 items
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Album: Juniper Spring day hike from Malpais Spring, Mojave National Preserve (Day 11)
I don't know much about the Juniper Spring area, so today I'll hike over a pass in the New York Mountains and see it. Excellent weather, landscape and flower shows. 11 hiking miles round trip, over 2000 feet elevation gain.
Date: May 26, 2010, 08h45
Size: 75 items
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Album: Malpais Spring to Nipton by bicycle, plus Ivanpah Valley sunset hike, Mojave National Preserve (Day 12)
I wish I had time for another day at Malpais Spring. Instead, today I'll backtrack my bicycle route from a few days ago to Nipton and do a short hike in the creosote-bush flats in Ivanpah Valley at sunset. 27.2 bicycle miles and 4.4 hiking miles.
Date: May 27, 2010, 09h49
Size: 49 items
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Album: Nipton to Brant Hills, New York Mountains, Mojave National Preserve (Day 13)
The dirt road on the southeast side of Ivanpah Valley turns out to be a great alternate bicycle route to Morning Star Mine Road. Peaceful, easier, and no traffic. 19 bicycle miles with over 1000 feet of elevation gain, plus 2 hiking miles.
Date: May 28, 2010, 09h43
Size: 79 items
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Album: Brant Hills to Baker by bicycle via Mojave Road, Mojave National Preserve (Day 14)
Excellent day of riding just over 50 miles to get back to Baker, California for tomorrow's Amtrak back to San Jose. I ride a dirt powerline road on the flank of Cima Dome and love the downhill on the old Mojave Road.
Date: May 29, 2010, 08h29
Size: 75 items
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Album: Mojave National Preserve hiking and bicycle routes on this trip
Mojave National Preserve hiking and bicycle routes on this trip.
Date: May 16, 2010, 19h39
Size: 15 items
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